She was given $936, then ran back outside to the car and was driven away by her husband.

An off-duty police officer having lunch opposite the bank saw the car leaving and became suspicious. After a bank robbery was reported on his radio he pulled over the man and woman, both aged 27, and discovered the children on the back seat.

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In the car police also found the money, the note the woman had used, and clothes matching her description from witnesses in the bank.

The couple were later named by local television station KSL as Michelle Parker, 27, and husband William Parker, 27. They targeted a branch of Wells Fargo bank.

Their children were taken into the custody of the state.

The robbery took place in Tooele, a small city of 30,000 people just west of Salt Lake City.

When questioned, the couple told officers they had committed the robbery because they had mounting medical bills, had got into debt and were facing eviction from their home.

Tooele Police Sergeant Todd Hewitt said: "The officer did a great job, and Wells Fargo also did a good job. The teller, the employees in the bank had a ton of information for us when we got there. They followed all their protocols."

Police said the couple were not found to be in possession of any weapons.